Loss of control after detaching stage

[XtianApi]

Hello, first forum post, first week playing. I am building a space station and have a core in orbit already. I built a fuel depot /habitat and when I detach the large side jumbo tanks and mainsail, I loose all control of the spacecraft. I have a remote command module on top, then two hitchhiker cans and a jumbo tank in the center, below that, I have a decoupled and a half size tank and mainsail. I turn the jumbo tank and one rcs tank off in the center, to save it for the space station. I have two rcs tanks, one for flight, and one for the depot. All that is in the center. On the side I have jumbo tanks and engines, and solid boosters. When I detach the boosters it's fine, but when I detach the last side mounted tanks and engines the ship no longer responds. The center structure has clamp o trons and struts connecting the habitat and fuel tank. Is this why everything dies? Can I not send controls through the docking ports? Do the side talks transmit the controls, then when they are detached, there is nothing left to transmit through? Thanks,

[Zelnogrard]

... the ship no longer responds. ...

Looks like you're running out of electric charge, unmanned control unit need it to respond to controls, otherwise they just freeze. First several times I got that I thought it was some glitch. Hitchiker cans come empty by default, so no help from kerbals. Putting one (or more, but one unit should be enough) "PB-NUK Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator" on the payload stage should solve the issue.

[XtianApi]

Looks like you're running out of electric charge, unmanned control unit need it to respond to controls, otherwise they just freeze. First several times I got that I thought it was some glitch. Hitchiker cans come empty by default, so no help from kerbals. Putting one (or more, but one unit should be enough) "PB-NUK Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator" on the payload stage should solve the issue.

Hey thanks for the reply! I indeed did have that problem before, but this time it isn't that. I checked the charge. I even kept the clams on on the landing pad, fired the engines, disconnected the first two stages within a few seconds and watched them fly off all crazy like, then would immediately lose all control, rcs, everything. I put one tiny strut between everything from the top down, and problem is fixed! I couldn't believe it. I don't know if it is one of those clam-o-tron ports that sometimes seats weird, or what. I am also using one of those large to small flat adapters to make the hitchhiker cans look better, maybe that is it. I would have to go remove the struts, and put them back one at a time to figure out what it is, and if it is more than one thing, then forget it. Have you ever heard of that happening? I didn't know struts could make all connections, like power and such. If I can somehow send you a save file or something, or you could just recreate it yourself. I can try to send a picture I suppose. It is crazy though. Tiny struts.

[XtianApi]

Looks like you're running out of electric charge, unmanned control unit need it to respond to controls, otherwise they just freeze. First several times I got that I thought it was some glitch. Hitchiker cans come empty by default, so no help from kerbals. Putting one (or more, but one unit should be enough) "PB-NUK Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator" on the payload stage should solve the issue.

I'm confused, I just typed a long response and it does not show up. I'll explain the whole thing over when i am sure it didn't actually post. Anyway, thanks for the reply, I fixed it. It wasn't the charge, I tested it on the launch pad with the supports connected. Once I disconnected the first two stages, I lose all control. I fixed it by connecting tiny struts between every piece on the center ship to the piece next to it. It is either the clamp-o-tron ports, or the large to small, flat adapters I use to make the habitats look nicer. Any thoughts? I didn't know struts could transmit everything of a ship. That means you could use only struts to connect parts of a ship, haha. It kind of sucks, I don't want to worry about that. I thought, if it was connected, then you have all connections. Thanks. Let me know if you want anything additional, like a file, or pics.

[XtianApi]

what the heck. my post is not showing. can you see my response?

[XtianApi]

oh, I gotta wait for a moderator. Bummer. I have thousands of posts in other vBulletin forums.

[Zelnogrard]

Now that's a weird problem. If strutting helped with it, then it sounds like it was some structural failure in a long stack of modules. Sometimes the modules get detached without being disintegrated and just stay on top of each other. But then again, if the same thing happens with the ship fixed on the launchpad, the said type of failure is out of the question.

Anyway, I'm glad you found a solution.

p.s. yeah, premoderation It's ten posts only though.

[XtianApi]

Now that's a weird problem. If strutting helped with it, then it sounds like it was some structural failure in a long stack of modules. Sometimes the modules get detached without being disintegrated and just stay on top of each other. But then again, if the same thing happens with the ship fixed on the launchpad, the said type of failure is out of the question.

Anyway, I'm glad you found a solution.

p.s. yeah, premoderation It's ten posts only though.

Thanks again. I had further weirdness of the same type, with the same ship. So, after I posted that I had "fixed" the problem, I got it into orbit with only the center section left. I turned on the lights and they started burning up the battery at the bottom of the whole craft. Nothing strange there. Eventually, I did run out of charge in the command module, but I had a small side panel which charged it up once I came around to the sun. I thought it was weird that the battery at the bottom of the craft kept the lights going, even lights on the command module itself, but the command module charge died all the way. Imagine me, again having no control because the command module is dead, but still having the lights blazing. Furthermore, since the solar panel charged it back up, I noticed it also charged the battery up. So, if the battery can be charged by the solar, and the command module can be charged by the same panel, why can't the battery charge the command module? Weird right. Something is messed up between a connection somewhere, or there is a little glitch, or both. Battery on left of ship, command module on right, panel in the middle, panel can charge both, but they aren't sharing charge. There isn't anything in kerbal that moves power directionally right? Oh well, I'm killing the ship and starting over. I'm new to kerbal so just through tonight, i'm already better than I was when I built this problematic ship. The problems are kinda fun, at least for a little while. thanks.